Cottage Cheese Jello Salad is the perfect side to bring to potlucks and holidays! It’s sweet and creamy yet has a delicious crunch that will have you going back for more.
If you love this jello recipe, you’ll definitely want to try my orange jello mandarin orange salad or this easy strawberry jello dessert.
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Why this Cottage Cheese Jello Salad Recipe is a Keeper
I love this salad recipe because it’s a quick and easy fluffy dessert. Vintage lime Jello salad is super delicious, only uses easy ingredients and is super customizable.
- Easy Ingredients: This lime Jello salad with cottage cheese recipe uses simple ingredients to make a delicious snack or dessert. Use a box of Jello mixture as the base, and add toppings as you see fit.
- Adaptable: The sweetness of the Jello may vary depending on the flavor you use. It’s also possible to use sugar-free Jello in this cottage cheese lime jello salad.
- Makes Great Leftovers: Green Jell-o Salad stores great in the fridge! This Jello fluff salad is light because of the cottage cheese instead of cream cheese.
Can Jello Molds be Used for this Recipe?
Sure! If you have a specific mold you’d like to use go ahead, but any square baking dish works too.
Salad Ingredients for Cottage Cheese Jello Salad
You will need just a few super simple ingredients to make old fashioned jello salad recipes for your next potluck. All of the ingredients are easy to find at the store, but you may even have some of them in your kitchen already.
- Lime Jello: You will need 2 boxes of lime dry jello powder to make this recipe.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Prep Ahead Suggestions to Make Jello Cottage Cheese Salad
Preparing this lime cottage cheese jello salad recipe ahead of time can help to save you time and kitchen space when it comes to making everything for a family reunion!
- Make Ahead: You can make this salad several days in advance and keep in the fridge.
Pro Tip to Love this Recipe
The key to a great jello salad is balance. Don’t be afraid to experiment and find your perfect combination of flavors and textures!
How to Make Jello Salad with Cottage Cheese
This recipe comes together in 3 quick and easy steps. This easter jello salad is so good, it will quickly become one of your favorite recipes!
These are the basic steps for making Vintage Lime Cottage Cheese Jello Salad. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Prepare Juice and Jello
Drain the pineapple and save the juice. Transfer juice to a 2-cup measuring cup and add enough boiling water to bring the liquid to 2 cups. Add the lime gelatin to a mixing bowl and add the boiling water mix and stir until gelatin is dissolved.
2. Mix Together Ingredients
In a separate large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and evaporated milk until smooth. Slowly add in the gelatin mixture and stir until combined. Fold in the cottage cheese, crushed pineapple and chopped walnuts.
3. Chill Jello
Pour the mixture into an 8×8 baking dish. Cover and refrigerate gelatin salad in a serving bowl for at least 4 hours.
How to Store, Freeze and Use Leftovers of this Dessert Recipe
- Storing: Store in an airtight container in the fridge. It will be just as good 2 days later!
- Freeze: When you freeze Jello the texture changes! So if you don’t mind a change in texture, try freezing any leftovers you have for a frozen treat.
- Using Leftovers: Enjoy leftover Jello flavor fruit cocktail with Chicken Parm Sliders. Just give the salad a good stir.
Variations and Substitutions to Make Jell-O Salad
This Christmas Jello salad recipe is super easy to customize to make it your own! Try taking this great recipe for easy salad to the next level by experimenting with flavors or trying different ingredients.
- Different Flavors: Try a different flavor jello! Use orange gelatin, strawberry jello mix or raspberry jello.
- Different Nuts: Try this side dish or dessert recipe with chopped pecans with the walnuts.
- Whip: Try using whipped cottage cheese for a smooth creamy cottage cheese texture in this recipe for Jello and cottage cheese.
Jell-O Cottage Cheese Salad Recipe FAQs
Try Amish Broccoli Salad, mandarin orange Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing, Vintage Potato Chip Cookies, Strawberry Fluff Salad or Orange Jello Salad.
Yes! It’s recommended that you use fresh or canned fruit over frozen fruit in this easy recipe.
Yes! Layer this recipe with different ingredients, use small curd cottage cheese and cool whip, or cream cheese and walnuts. Chill one layer of Jello salad in the refrigerator, then layer the Jello on top to create more.
Expert Tips to Make Cottage Cheese Salad This Recipe
- Double this Recipe: Cottage cheese Jello salad is one you can double if you want! Increase ingredients proportionally and split between two dishes. This recipe is an easy side dish too.
- Flavored Jello: Use any flavor of Jello! Use orange jello, strawberry jello with cottage cheese, pineapple, cherry, lemon, or raspberry.
- Toppings: Some suggestions for toppings are whipped topping, cool whip, pineapple tidbits, maraschino cherries, homemade whipped cream, and mini marshmallows.
- Additions: Blend in coconut, fresh pineapple, drained mandarin oranges with orange jell-o, cranberry, or different nuts or fruits to the Jello salad.
- Healthier: Try using a sugar free jello or a low fat cottage cheese.
- Whipped Cream: If you’d like to add whipped cream, go ahead! Fold the cool whip in to the cottage cheese and jello, rather than mixing, so you don’t deflate the cool whip.
Vintage Lime Cottage Cheese Jello Salad
Video
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces Crushed pineapple, 1 can, drain and reserve juice
- 1 cup Boiling water, adjust amount based on instructions below
- 6 ounces Lime gelatin, two 3 ounce boxes
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
- 1 cup Evaporated milk
- 1 cup Small curd cottage cheese
- ½ cup Walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Drain pineapple and reserve the juice. Transfer juice to a 2-cup measuring cup and add enough boiling water to bring the liquid to 2 cups.
- Add the lime gelatin to a medium bowl and add the boiling water and juice; stir until gelatin is completely dissolved.
- In a separate, large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, and evaporated milk until smooth. Slowly add in the gelatin mixture and stir until combined.
- Fold in the cottage cheese, crushed pineapple and chopped walnuts.
- Pour the mixture into an 8×8 baking dish; Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Christina’s Notes
- Double this Recipe: Cottage cheese Jello salad is one you can double if you want! Increase ingredients proportionally and split between two dishes. This recipe is an easy side dish too.
- Flavored Jello: Use any flavor of Jello! Use orange jello, strawberry jello with cottage cheese, pineapple, cherry, lemon, or raspberry.
- Toppings: Some suggestions for toppings are whipped topping, cool whip, pineapple tidbits, maraschino cherries, homemade whipped cream, and mini marshmallows.
- Additions: Blend in coconut, fresh pineapple, drained mandarin oranges with orange jell-o, cranberry, or different nuts or fruits to the Jello salad.
- Healthier: Try using a sugar free jello or a low fat cottage cheese.
- Whipped Cream: If you’d like to add whipped cream, go ahead! Fold the cool whip in to the cottage cheese and jello, rather than mixing, so you don’t deflate the cool whip.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
Love this salad. Haven’t made it for years. Have a green spot on a throw rug from where I spilled it. I use 1 c of miracle whip & I c of eagle brand milk w/cottage cheese , crushed pineapple & pecans. I only use 3 oz of lime jello. Yum!!!
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Now this is the authentic midwest recipe my mom and grandma made…not the ones floating around with added sugar, or condensed milk (way too sweet) instead of evaporated, or whipped topping (way too sweet) instead of mayo. I do think my mom used Miracle Whip in those days though which we prefer mayo. This was what our family remembered and it is plenty sweet! Thank you.
I enjoyed this at a Bible Study luncheon. Will try it with the low fat, non sugar suggestions. I know it will be wonderful. Thank you so much.
This is the perfect holiday salad. I actually got this recipe from my mother-in-law 50 years ago. We have it every Thanksgiving. This is definitely a recipe you want to keep!
Is there a replacement for the mayo? Thank you!
Of course, there are several: Greek Yogurt, sour cream even avocado can work as a replacement in this recipe.
Like several others we have had this recipe for 3 generations using horse radish. But we have never put milk in it. Is this your variation?
It is how our family always made it.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Lovrd it.
I grew up on a jello salad similar – no mayo, pecans for the nuts, and added fine shredded cheddar cheese. So incredibly good.
It is a true classic!
What can I use instead of cottage cheese
Ricotta cheese is a good alternative.
Can it be made a couple of days before?
Yes as long as it is refrigerated.
Didn’t make this recipe because I’ve been eating this since I was a kid (in the 1950s and 1960s) and making ever since thru the years. We called it Pacific Lime Mold. But also added 1 tsp of horseradish. So Good!!!
I make this salad but no mayo.
I use pineapple and sometimes grated carrots. Less calories.
I have been making this for years but have been using sweetened condensed milk instead of the evaporated milk. I may try using the evaporated milk.
My grandmother used to make this. Instead of walnuts, she used pecans and added a spoonful of horseradish! No idea what that did, but it wasn’t the same without it!
My dad wanted me to use a whole jar of horseradish. ! It wasn’t terrible!! Can I leave out the mayo? Is it evaporated milk or sweetened condensed?
The horseradish sounds interesting! The recipe uses evaporated milk. You can replace the mayo with greek yogurt or ricotta cheese if you like.
Can this be frozen?
Cottage cheese jello salad can be frozen for up to 3 months. The texture of the salad may change after freezing.